She paused a moment. He thought this was the end of her story, but she still seemed to be waging some internal battle. It was as if she was trying to summon enough courage to tell him something else. Of all the things that she might have been preparing to say, her words stunned him. “I was hoping ye would just ask to set the betrothal aside and not tell them why. I will go to a convent.”
Perhaps it was the sheer unexpectedness of what she said that caused him to answer her so bluntly. “I won’t do that, Mairead.”
She looked supremely disappointed. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I had just hoped—I didn’t want my family to know my shame.”
“Nay, Mairead, ye misunderstand, that’s not what I meant. I want to marry ye.”
“Ye—but—”
“Mairead, none of this was your fault. No one asks to be attacked, ever. I understand why ye didn’t tell your family when it happened. I’m sure ye were terrified and didn’t know what to do. After all, ye were barely more than a wee lass. I am very glad ye felt ye could tell me about it but, sweetling, I suspected something like this might have happened before I offered for ye.”
Mairead’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t understand. How could ye have known?”
“Flan told me the part of the story which he knew. He said after the day at the fair ye were scared and more timid than ever before. I suspected something terrible had happened in the time ye were separated and I think he does as well. He blames himself.”
“He was just a child, only seven. I am the one who should have known better.”
“Ye were both children and ye made a mistake children make. The blame rests solely on the men who attacked ye. I told Flan as much.”
“But why did he tell ye all of this?”
“Because your parents were planning a betrothal for ye with Darcy Fraser. Flan was worried about ye being afraid and so far from home.”
On hearing what her brother had done, she first looked shocked, then mortified. She pushed away from him. “Oh, by all that’s holy, tell me Flan didn’t ask ye to marry me!”
Tadhg laughed, pulling her back into his arms. “Aye, he did. But I am glad he did. It is a good union between our families and I had considered it before. When he told me how important it was for ye to feel safe and be close to your family, it was the push I needed. Now I have met ye, I think ye are perfectly lovely and I am delighted with ye.”
“So it doesn’t matter to ye that I—that I…” she looked directly into his eyes for the first time since entering the chapel.
“Nay, my little bride, it doesn’t matter in the least.” He kissed her gently.
When he pulled away, she looked almost bewildered so he smiled broadly and kissed her again. She immediately stiffened and pulled away. She looked as if she had been struck by some horrible thought. “What is it, Mairead?”
“I just remembered—w—what about—the wedding night, what about the next morning—what will people think?”
“Don’t worry so, Mairead. No one will know. I will handle it.”
“Ye will?”
“Aye, precious lass, I will. And another thing, if ye need time, sweetling, ye will have that too.”
“Time?”
“Aye, I won’t push ye until ye’re ready.”
“Oh,” she said, blushing again. “Nay, I—I—I—think it will be all right,” she stammered. “It isn’t the same, is it? Loving? At least, it doesn’t seem so.”
“Nay, it’s not the same at all and I’m glad ye understand the difference.” He leaned in and gave her another kiss and was delighted when she returned the kiss. When he pulled away, he smiled. “Do ye think ye can relax now and enjoy our wedding?”
She blushed yet again. “Aye, I think I can.”
~ * ~
He held her hand as they left the chapel to walk across the courtyard. When they entered the great hall, her parents and sisters were absent. However, every single one of her brothers, even her sisters’ husbands, sat near one of the hearths.
A brief look of frustration crossed his face, and he whispered, “I had hoped after a long day of travel, your family would have retired before we returned. Are they waiting for us?”
Mairead whispered back, “Probably. They mean well, but they can be a bit protective.”
He smiled down at her and winked. “We’ll have to let them know it’s my job from here on out.” How did that one simple gesture cause the fluttering to start in her stomach?
She grinned. “Good luck with that.”
“Maybe we can start with this.” He leaned down, tilted her chin up and gave her a soul-stirring kiss, in full view of all of her stunned brothers, setting her heart pounding. Dear God in heaven, it felt wonderful, and she didn’t care who was watching. Nay, not the same at all.